OSLO KRISESENTER A presentation by Inger-Lise Walmsness Larsen Managing director

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OSLO KRISESENTERA presentationbyInger-Lise
Walmsness LarsenManaging director
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• Violence in Norway
• 1 of 4 women in Norway have suffered violence or
  threats of violence
• 1 of 10 women over 15 years has been raped
• 1 of 10 women over 15 years has experienced that
  their partner has used a weapon, strangled or
  beat her head against the floor or other objects
• 1 of 40 men has suffered the above
• Since 2000 almost 100 women have been murdered by
  their partners or ex-partners.
• 4 men have experienced the same in the period

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• Violence in different close relations
• Men's violence against women
• Womens violence against men
• Violence in upbringing
• Violence in homosexual partnerships
• Violence in large families
• Honor related violence, forced marriage issues,
  transnational violence
• Human trafficking
• Violence against vulnerable groups
• Women in prison, prostitution, drugs and
  psychiatry

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• Oslo
• Oslo the capital of Norway with approximately
  600000 citizens
• 15 different districts with more or less
  self-determination
• Resources to the different districts are
  distributed by a criteria-system
• A central City Council and 15 District Councils
• Jan. 2011 30 of citizens have minority
  background
• The Oslo Krisesenter is the only shelter in Oslo
• There is no holistic plan for work with women,
  children or men exposed to domestic violence in
  Oslo despite of several national action plans

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• The Oslo Krisesenter today
• Private foundation with a self-appointed board
• Management team 4 section-leaders and a managing
  director
• Shelter section for women and children
• Day-centre section for women and children,
  including a section for trafficked women (Rosa)
• Children and youth section, both a shelter and
  day-centre
• Section for honor related violence, where young
  girls are exposed to forced marriage
• Shelter for men and their children
• Approximately 50 employees, all educated
• The men and women shelters are separated

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• 2010
• Approx. 200 inquiries per month
• Approx. 10 of these are given an offer of
  shelter, the rest are given an offer at the
  day-centre or are forwarded to the right agency
• 350 women and 300 children stayed at the shelter.
  Approx. 90 of these where of minority
  background
• 2040 visits by women and children at the
  day-centre. 60 of these were ethnic Norwegians
• Men since started in Sept. 2010, 24 residents,
  and 45 dayusers
• Section for honor related violence, 53 residents
  since started in Okt. 07

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• Background for development of services
• Differentiating the services, an offer for all
• Minority women
• Norwegian women
• Young girls
• Children and youth
• Minority men
• Norwegian men
• Lesbians, homosexuals and transsexuals
• Vulnerable groups human trafficking, women in
  prison, prostitutes, drugs, alcohol and psychiatry

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• Development of the services at OK
• 1977 Hotline for women exposed to violence by
  their partners, 1.feb
• 1978 Europes first shelter open around the
  clock, 2. May
• 2000 Section for honor related violence for
  young women who have been or are in danger of
  being forced to marry. Was closed in 2004 and
  reopened in 2007
• 2005 Section for women exposed to human
  trafficking, Rosa
• 2005 The prison project is started and closed,
  reopened in 2008
• 2007 The day-centre section was established
• 2008 Educational offering for the children at OK
  was established

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• 2008 Establishment of a volunteer-project
• 2008 Establishment of a networking group for
  women of minority background
• 2009 Establishment of the section for children
  and youth
• 2010 Establishment of the shelter for men
• 2010 Cooperation with Reform resource-centre for
  men concerning the violators
• 2011 Establishment of networking groups for
  girls of minority background
• 2011 Establishment of networking groups for men
• 2011 Cooperation with Prosenteret, centre for
  prostitutes, concerning violence

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• Laws on violence in Norway
• 1891 Men loose their legal right to physically
  punish their wives
• 1913 Abuse gives the right to get a divorce
• 1978 Law on equality between the sexes, and a
  commissioner of equality
• 1981 The police is not allowed to register
  violence as domestic disturbance
• 1981 Victims of violence are given a monetary
  compensation even if the perpetrator is family
• 1983 Free legal aid to women who are victims of
  partner violence
• 1988 All cases of severe partner violence will be
  tried in court through public indictment
• 1994 Restraining orders are implemented
• 1995 Law against female genital mutilation

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• 2002 All police stations are required to have a
  specialist on family violence
• 2003 Restraining orders are extended to include
  the possibility excluding men from their homes
• 2004 It is made possible for victims of severe
  violence to get a new fictive identity
• 2008 Victims are given the right of free legal
  help before pressing charges
• 2008 Changes in the Criminal Procedure Act to the
  benefit of the victim
• 2008 The purchase of sexual services is
  illegalized.
• 2010 The shelter law

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• Shelter law of 2010
• - The purpose is to ensure that persons exposed
  to violence or threats of domestic violence have
  access to a good, comprehensive shelter service.
  Persons exposed to trafficking may also be
  covered by the law.
• A good shelter service means that the shelter
  offers expertise, is properly secured, easily
  available and accessible to users.
• The offer shall be free and gender neutral
• The shelter should not require referral,
  appointment or waiting list

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• The core services of the shelter
• 24 hours shelter, counseling by day, follow-up in
  the resettlement phase, and counseling by
  telephone.
• Safe and free temporary housing
• Daytime services for former residents and others
• Counseling, individually and in groups
• Follow-up in re-establishment phase
• Assistance to contact the support system
• Special services for different groups
• Provide information to child welfare services

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• The municipality shall provide for
• The quality of service is according to the law
• Coordination of services
• The person of needs should be offered an
  individual plan where shelter can be a part of
  the plan
• Qualified interpreters paid by the municipality
• Adapted shelters for people with disabilities
• Provide users with information about rights and
  aid for contact with other support services
• The county governor supervises the legality of
  the municipality's compliance with the
  obligations imposed by law

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• Shelter section
• Reception and competent assessment to provide
  rapid and appropriate assistance to women,
  children and men
• Stabilize women, men and children in emergency
• Focus on basic needs and reactions to violence
• Use of interpreters
• Refer to support services, clarify
  responsibilities, follow, participate and
  initiate an individual plan
• The shelter section needs approx. 30 days to
  provide the services needed in this acute
  phase Lawyer, security alarm,
  restraining-orders, stabilizing and strategies,
  assistance in obtaining housing
• Transfer to the day centre for follow-up after
  relocation

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• Children and youth section
• The child in focus as an independent individual,
  given the same service as their mother or father
• Specific head contact person for children, with
  their own admittance conversation
• Working with children in crisis, predictability,
  confidence
• Working with mother in crisis, supporting the
  mother in the mother-role
• Individual conversations, group discussions and
  meetings
• Activities, friendships and experiences and
  conversations
• School and kindergartenFollow-up of mother-child
  relationship and more after leaving the shelter

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• Day-centre section for women and children
• Individual counseling
• Group counseling
• Classes on the subject of violence and reactions
  of violence
• Legal services
• Practical help
• Jurk, legal counseling for women, training on
  rights, visitation
• Prison Project
• Volunteer Project
• Networking
• ROSA, project for human trafficking

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• Issues discussed in the classes on violence
• What is violence?
• Violence and love.
• Honor-related violence and forced marriage.
• Common reactions to violence, how to take care of
  themselves
• The way forward
• Children witnessing violence
• This concept can be applied to different groups
  of women
• .

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• The Prison Project
• Collaboration between the Correctional Services
  and OK, Bretvedt and B2
• Long-term female prisoners, fewer measures than
  men in prison
• Coming from outside, is not identified with the
  prison
• Long history of violence that have not been the
  focus earlier
• Individual conversations, groups and courses,
  motivated
• Possibility of normalization and handling of
  reactions
• Competence in the prison system, active
  cooperation
• Follow-up after release at OK

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• Section for honor-related violence
• The shelter as the first step for protection
• Young girls, 18-19 years, subjected to forced
  marriage or honor-related violence
• Extreme control, isolation, violence often since
  childhood
• Rehabilitation program, long-term offers
• Progress towards independence and managing their
  own lives
• From obedience to responsibility
• Counteract loneliness, stigma and isolation
  through networking after leaving the shelter
• Professional approach, relational and process
  oriented

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• Shelter for men
• Men subjected to violence by their wives or
  partners
• Men with children, cooperation with the
  children-team
• Gay men exposed to violence by their partner
• Gay men vulnerable to honor-related violence by
  their family
• Minority men forced to marry
• Sons over 18 years of age of women who live in
  Oslo Krisesenter
• The same reactions to violence as women
• Feeling of shame
• Stabilization and network with others in the same
  situation

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• Challenges in Norway
• Shelters as a low-threshold emergency service,
  given focus as the acute offer in the municipal
  work on violence
• Competence, internally and with collaborators
• Collaboration, dialogue for clarification of
  responsibilities
• Responsibility of other help-services to do their
  job according to the law
• Child Welfare
• Targeted transitional arrangements
• Housing assistance
• Clarification of the law, low-threshold,
  regardless of residence-status and national
  registration